New Church Community

Not only is ActsTwo the birth of a unique community of faith, reaching out to others – but a worship experience designed to do just that, Worship!

Thanks for your continued support and prayers

May 15th Sabbath Schedule

8:45 Arise! Breakfast

9:20 Sanctuary Seating

9:30 Worship

10:20 Childrens Sabbath School

11:00 After Glow – Fellowship

At ActsTwo our prayer is that you experience God in an intense and real way, void of the noise and clutter that is so common in our lives.

Every Sabbath at 9:30, ActsTwoenters into an intentional, 90 minute Worship Experience, focused solely on the “vertical axis” of your relationship with God. The elements of traditional church will be there, so expect Bible Study and a thought provoking Sermon but look-out for a few pleasant additions.

In our last meeting and update we talked about ‘Next Steps’. It was felt that “simple, heart-felt worship” would be a good way to continue prayer, study and discussion about becoming an authentic, New Testament church. April was seen as a plausible timeframe.

A possible venue has been located around a mile east on Park Road, off 75. The latter part of April – May is a workable timeframe. Update to follow… As we move forward, I ask you to pray for unity and the shared desire to create together, a culture of participation, prayer, and bible study as God shapes this new ACTS 2 community.

The meeting this past Sabbath was inspiring. There were many good thoughts and ideas expressed verbally and in writing about what an Acts 2, community could become in our day.

Here are just a few:

“We would lookout for one another. We would share with one another. If someone is missing we would notice and follow up with them. We would meet more often for fellowship reasons and not just on Sabbath.”

“It seems to me that a key to fellowship is to get people to donate the skills they have to others in the group.”

“…a church of prayer and a church of fellowship (they ate together and discussed doctrine) and a church of action. In was a church of transparency as they each knew it was only through the power of Jesus that anything could be finished. Acts 4:32 states it well.. one heart and one soul.”

“…a contemporary Acts 2 church would celebrate its cultural diversity.”

“Embrace new worshipers, be welcoming, be open armed and open minded… Jesus accepted the presence of prostitutes and preached to them… Before God works a transformation in someone’s life, they have to start from somewhere. Can we accept them wherever they are? I don’t have a definitive opinion about how far this can or should go, but it is definitely more than your average adventist church.”

“I have found that although there are sound basic biblical principles that we can follow, we need to reflect and serve the community that we are in.”

“No ‘blank stares’ in the pews. Participation should be much higher than average – singing, studying, being part of a ministry. Everyone should be part of a ministry.”

These are bold and heartfelt statements. Importantly, everyone seems to express the same passion for acceptance, transparency and reaching-out to those around us. It is Christ who provides the desire to become His people. The church exists because He willed it. He’s a God of action.

Thinking and dialogue are important steps in this process and will certainly continue, but what we actually “do” shapes our ideas and defines who we really are. Are you ready to do something daring?

Let’s Continue the Dialogue in a New Way…

I invite you to step-out in simple, heart-felt worship, looking at what the bible and Spirit are saying to us in April 2010. Partner with us in prayer towards a deeper, experience of community.

In our last meeting, (Sabbath, February 6, @ 5:00pm), we shared some honest dialogue. Personally, I expressed my desire to be involved in a New Testament model of church – an Acts 2, community. Many of you shared that same desire and we began reflecting on what an Acts 2, community would look like today.

Have you Done Your Homework?

Our homework was to simply ask God for insight and write down the impressions He put in our hearts. Thanks for the responses so far. It’s not too late to send in your prayerful impressions.

Everyone should take a ‘stab’ at it! Why not take a few moments to ask God what His community of faith should look like today. Email your impressions to; pastorhunt@att.net.

“Why aren’t we discussing where the new church will be and when we’re getting started?”

It’s a good question… Here’s a quick answer:

We established early on that ‘church’ is who we are; people committed to Christ and each other. Church services are important, but knowing what we exist for and learning how to become a true community is essential to our success as a faith community. Importantly, it will shape the impact we have on those around us. It’s a critical, first-step.

Example: No one starting a new business will spend more time focussing on the location and openingtimes, without first establishing what business they are in, who their customers are and why their ‘services’ will be valuable.

The most common mistake start-up churches make is to focus on ‘How’ church can happen and where services will take place, often failing to address ‘What’ they are trying to achieve by starting a church! No new church can afford to skip the process of knowing exactly what they are trying to do. Sure, it’s a challenging task and may seem obvious until you attempt it. It’s difficult but absolutely worth the effort. The good news is that we have a blueprint in Acts 2!

Let’s get on the same page and share a common vision! Don’t worry, the ‘where’ and ‘when’ will come shortly…

At our next meeting, I have an important update I’d like to share with you all in person… TBA

What is Church..?

Hello Friends,

It was a pleasure having you in our home this past Sabbath afternoon. Here are the study notes I used from that meeting. As you look them over, take a moment to ask God for direction and conviction on what He has to say to you personally.

Also, please leave a comment or question by clicking the “leave a comment” link above. This helps us assess the usefulness of this site. Blessings!

Why was this meeting called?

We wanted to touch base with those of you who expressed an interest in what the Lord would be leading us to do in the future.

To begin an important dialogue with those of you interested in a New Church Community in N Dallas.

We also want to share some insights God has given us from His word about His‘church’.

Quick Update

We have been busy traveling, writing a dissertation, raising children and exploring all sorts of churches in N Dallas. I made an unexpected trip to London in December to baptize my mother (re-baptize), and one of my dear nieces. It was a wonderful experience. Not very pastor gets to baptize his mother. Flew back into Dallas on christmas day to be with Petronella and the children.

During this 5 month period God has led me to focus on a very basic but critical question about the church: “What is church?” I was led to ask, What is it’s essential essence and what does He (God) want His church to look like today?

For the first time in many years we have been free to wander and check-out the SDA church scene in N. Dallas. It has been an enlightening and challenging experience.

Does Dallas need another church..?

Dallas is the fourth largest metro area in the US. It has the fastest growing population. One million people have moved into the DFW area since 2000. Over 145,000 people moved into the area between 2008-09. There are reportedly more than 2000 churches…

Let’s share some insights from His word…

What do you think when you hear the word ‘church’?

There are numerous ideas and concepts of what church is…

Some of these are inadequate or incorrect. For instance, some think of church as mainly a building… a place in a particular location. This by far is the most common idea both inside and outside the church. It’s easy to understand – there are thousands of buildings called churches. In the Dallas Metroplex alone, there are many hundreds of churches conducting thousands of church services, meetings and a variety of activities.

But long before there were any church buildings, there were many churches:

How did they meet and organize? They met in homes, in barns, in open places, in borrowed buildings. They met during war and persecution. They met in secret, in darkness, in candlelight, in basements, caves and moonlight forests. They met by rivers and lakes, in almost any place, and any time under the best and worse of circumstances.

Church is not about buildings, land and assets.

It wasn’t until around the third centuryAD… that churches began to own and operate buildings. So thinking in terms of a building is an inadequate concept of church and doesn’t get us to the essential nature of it.

What is church?

Sometimes the word church is used to refer to organized Christianity or to a group of churches, what we call a denomination. This never occurs in the New Testament:

The local church is part of something muchbigger than many of us imagine.

The local church is a colony – not the entire kingdom of God.

Membership in the local church should never be equated with salvation

Fellowship makes us part of the earthly kingdom of God, not membership

What was the NT church like?

Acts 2:5-11 The NT church was Cross Cultural – Multi-Ethnic

Acts 2:16-21 The NT church was Cross Generational, a healthy blend of all ages

Acts 2:42-46 The NT church was a Sharing, and generous Caring community

How did that church grow?

Acts 2:47 “The Lord added” Growth by divine acton

Acts 6:7Growth by multiplication – functioning as a community that lived it’s beliefs for all to see

How did they interact with each other, what kind of relationships did they have?

Acts 4:34-37 They took responsibility for the concerns and needs of each otherHow was God’s presence manifested in this new community?

Acts 5:12-16 Signs and wonders were not outrageous ideas, they were expected

Acts 5:29 They were obedient to God – at all costs

Acts 5:42 The movement was ‘organic’ daily communing in their houses

How did the secular community react to them?

Acts 2:47a They enjoyed the favor with all the people…

Key Questions…

What is the difference between membership and fellowship?

Membership is simply about being part of a group…

It is friendly association with people who share and pursue a common, shared interest: Rotary club, gym, book club, volunteering…

Fellowship embraces the idea of membership but is far more…

It is companionship, mutual support, care and concern, generosity, camaraderie, friendship, togetherness, solidarity, alliance, brotherhood and benevolence… Christ is the cement that bonds a fellowship together.

The truth about many churches is that membership is common, but fellowship is rare.

“Nothing has brought more personal trauma in my ministry and pain to my heart than the absence of genuine fellowship amongst professed Christ followers. Authentic community is often absent from many organized churches. I know this because I have witnessed it first hand. The truth about church is that almost anyone can become a member but there can be no salvation without fellowship.”

Unknown

How can we become a community of Christ followers, committed to being “the kingdom of God” on earth, for this time..?

__________________________________________________________

In Conclusion

The book of Acts not only records the powerful events of the early church, but provides a true blueprint of what the church can and must become in our day. The picture of a dynamic, multi-ethnic, cross-generational, altruistic and committed fellowship is vividly portrayed.

Does North Dallas need another church..?

Perhaps not. Without doubt, it does need a vibrant community of faith, committed to living the Acts 2 blueprint for their time.

The challenge to (us), contemporary, western believers, who live in a relationally insulated, fragmented and individualistic culture, is to rediscover the vision of a community captivated by living the Acts 2 revolution.

We must therefore, redefine ‘church’ so it makes sense. We must seek to demystify the gospel by becoming living representations of its story. Our time is one in which people won’t believe truth because we say it, but will be convicted if we live it. Jesus declared; “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:35 tells us that Love is the defining quality.

Church is people who live-out the principles of God’s kingdom. This is done by living as a community of caring and dedicated Christ followers. That’s not normal. In fact it’s abnormal and requires divine help. Is this a priority ‘ask’ on our prayer list? It hasn’t been for me n the past, but we can change that.

Romans 12:2 highlights the core of this challenge;

“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

It is so important that we do not allow our ‘feelings’ or culture to define how we think, behave and live as Christians. We, the church must transcend culture and become counter-cultural.

Key question: Will we allow culture to define us, or Christ to transform us?

So, church is not a building, meeting place, or static, weekly appointment time. The church are the people who follow Jesus, are fully committed to living His principles are the church.

What would an Acts 2 community look like today?

What steps would be necessary to become a caring community, devoted to Christ?

We are the church! It is through us that people can find the acceptance, healing and love of Christ. So, it’s time to stop ‘talking about’ and ‘going to’ church and take this and very opportunity to become ‘the church’.

Latest News

Many of you have checked this site from time-to-time, expecting to find out ‘what’s going on.’ Thanks for your patience and sorry it has taken so long. Writing a dissertation has been a consuming exercise. It’s been really busy but also very rewarding. The Hunt family would like to thank you for your continued support through phone calls, text and email messages or snail-mail, (which I love), we thank you!

Chicago Leadership Summit, August 2009

Now, before we move on to “What’s Next” I just want to clear up a few rumors and address some frequently asked questions:

1. “How are you doing at Andrews University?” Contrary to some reports we did not move to Michigan. We are still in the same home, city and state! Nothing has changed except my assignment to Richardson.

2. “Where are you working now?” Uh, I still work for the Texas Conference and have done so since 2001. I was on sabbatical, working on my dissertation.

3. “Are you going back to England?” We have no plans right now. And yes, we are legal residents. Our documents were acquired with bribes, printed on good paper – indistinguishable from those issued by the US government! You really can get anything in America!

4. “Where have you been going to church?” Translated: ”Has Pastor Paul left the church!!?”

For the first time in many years we have been free to wander and check-out the SDA church scene in N. Dallas. It has been an enlightening experience.

Getting expert writing advice from Sammara, November 2009

During this time God has led me to focus on a very basic, but critical question about the church: “What IS church?” What is it’s essential essence and what does He want it to look like today?

Dallas is the fourth largest metro area in the US. It has the fastest growing population. One million people have moved into the DFW area since 2000. Over 145,000 people moved into the area between 2008-09. There are reportedly more than 2000 churches… Does Dallas need another church? These are some of the questions God has led me to think and pray about during my Sabbatical.

New church-communities are not started very often. We have a great opportunity to do something different and truly biblical. I have come to a number of God-led conclusions about what church can and must become to be relevant and effective NOW in our day.

I’ll be sharing some of these insights in some up-coming meetings. “Meetings..? What meetings?”

It’s January 2010 and time to RETHINK church. If preparing for a New Kind of CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY in PLANO ignites something within you, join us:

See you there!

Paul & Petronella

About

Welcome to Pastor Paul’s Blog Page…

This blog is about impacting your world, whatever that may look like. The title of the blog, “Now Do Something” reminds us that thinking and talking may be important, but what we actually “do” truly defines who we really are and how we will be remembered.

This blog is also about our personal journey as we transition into a new phase of life and ministry. If you would like to keep up-to-date with where we are or what we’re doing, this is a great place to start. You may also check-out the Face-book link. But I warn you, it might be dangerous. You may be asked to actually ‘do something’, get involved in a project, or impact a life!